Empty
by whatsupalanah
Summary: The lights are on, and there are people inside, so why does it feel so empty?
Sometimes, she felt like an outsider in her own family, sat around the table with her beautiful husband and gorgeous daughter.

 _Such a beautiful wife, Sasuke. What a talented daughter you two have. Such a good couple, glad he came to his senses, ne?_

It's what she'd always wanted, right?

Sometimes, when she looked into her best friends deep blue eyes, they look the same as hers, look the same as Sasuke's. Naruto is as lost at sea as the rest of them, confused as to how it ended up the way it did.

 _How did they end up separated?_

She washes the dishes quietly, and Sasuke watches her from his seat at the table, his fists clenched under the table, mouth pressed into a thin, unhappy line.

 _Unhappy._

Two halves make a whole, right? So why did their whole feel like it was missing another piece?

Sometimes, Sasuke loves her so much it makes him want to let out 25 years of pent up emotion, makes him want to scream and grab her by the shoulders and shake her.

 _It's what she wanted, wasn't it?_

There's a scar above her hipbone, where Sasori tried to kill her, a scar that almost ruined their chances for a child, but he always kisses it when he makes love to her, because she is imperfect, but so are they, so is this.

When they report to the Hokage, blue eyes stare at them, but they're empty. When green and grey eyes stare back, they're only half full, the rest of their stare greedy for more.

They were each others, so why didn't it turn out right?

Sasuke could never understand why he didn't have a brood of children, with black hair and blue eyes, or that obnoxious yellow with jade green jewels. Where was their true happiness?

When Hinata leaves the village, for the first time since the last war, Naruto sends Sarada on a mission, and comes to their house for three days in a row before mustering the courage to knock, and ask to be let in.

 _"The door has always been open, Naruto."_ Sakura's voice is soft, but he hears her louder than any of the times she's yelled at him.

It's awkward for a while, quiet as they sit on separate surfaces and size each other up. A team seven reunion, but why, when Sasuke's been home for years?

But they realize, that it's been almost twelve years since they were truly alone with each other, and the realization flings Sakura straight into Naruto's arm and she weeps openly against his collarbone.

Sasuke's knuckles are white, but his eyes are warmer than they've been in almost 30 years.

When Hinata returns, Sakura is pregnant, and although Hinata seems happy for her, it's wiped away when the child has pink hair and _blue_ eyes, with no Kekkai Genkei.

Sasuke does not seem ashamed, and neither does Sakura. The Rokudaime never confirms rumors, but he does not deny them, nor does he hide the fact that he spends an equal amount of time with his two children as he does with the little boy.

Hatake Kakashi is the one to ask the question, but his only three students give him a look, and he understands the best he can, that there can be three halves to a whole sometimes.

When Sakura gives birth to a set of twins, the village is over-joyed as usual, to have new babies around, but confused.

Black hair, blue eyes, blonde hair and grey eyes, and no matter how much medical jargon Sakura throws at the people of Konaha, everyone knows now. Sasuke calls Naruto a dobe for having such strong genes, and Sakura smiles wanly at Hinata, who looks five minutes away from killing everyone in the room, herself included.

Hinata refuses a divorce, holds her head high, and acts like she's not embarrassed of her husbands infidelity.

Naruto never joins their household, and when Sakura is forty three, and all over her children are at least genins, the house becomes quiet again.

Hinata smiles wanly at Sakura when, by a miracle of sorts, she gives birth to another sunshine child.

On Sasuke's forty fifth birthday, Naruto does not come, and there's no less than 50 people in his house.

Sasuke leaves out of his bedroom window, his wife watching with sad eyes as Sasuke looks for Naruto, for the first time in 45 years.

Sasuke brings Naruto to his house, snatching him by the back of his robes and dragging the drunk man out of his office, where he sleeps most nights after his wife is done tucking their children into bed.

 _"Do you see what I mean, dobe?"_ Sakura is standing by the window, her eyes unseeing as she stares into the night, sensing that they are close, but her jade jewels are only human, and they do not acknowledge their physical presence. Naruto understands, without Sasuke explaining to him.

 _"Without you, it's not right. The lights are on, and we're inside, so why is it so empty, Naruto?"_ Naruto grips the front of the mans shirt and drags him to him, and their kiss is wild and filled with the shared pain of the past twenty plus years, and then Sakura is _there_ and Naruto is snatching for her too, kissing her blindly, tears salting their lips and faces.

They are Sakura's tears, and they wrap her between them and shush her, soothing chants of Sakura-chan filter through her deep longing and she curls her fingers in his Kage robes, soaking them through.

From the window, Hinata watches silently, her empty eyes seeing all.

But soon, the food is eaten and the drinks are all drunk, and Naruto leaves with Hinata, and Sakura and Sasuke stare at each other while they lay next to each other, and they agree that if Sasuke is the moon, and Sakura is the sky, then Naruto is their sun, and without him, they will always be unbalanced.

When Naruto hands his Kage robes to Konohamaru, the village mourns the resignation of their best Kage, and Hinata mourns her husband.

Naruto walks through the front door of the Uchiha household, and climbs straight into their shared bed, without saying a single word.

Hinata stares into their moonlight room from a tree branch outside, and wonders how a house could feel so empty inside, even with people their and lights on.

But then again, how could the sky be the sky, if there was no sun to pull the moon up at night?


End file.
